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Walls are Meant for Climbing: Free Climbing on Saturday August 19!

Friday, August 18, 2017

The North Face Celebrates Community with Global “Walls Are Meant For Climbing” Campaign

When: Saturday, August 19, 5-8pmWho: Everyone! What: Free climbing and harness rentals. (Does not include instruction or climbing shoes; shoes can be rented, and we will have plenty of volunteers to belay!)Where: Petra Cliffs!

Campaign aims to spark conversation about building trust and community around -and beyond -climbing walls

Alameda, CA –August15, 2017—Aimed at making the sport of climbing more accessible and inclusive, The North Face today announced a global brand campaign that asks people to rethink the way we look at walls. Walls are places where people in the climbing community come together to test themselves, build trust,and strengthen communities. Walls aren’t meant to divide us, they unite us. Walls are meant for climbing.

To celebrate the campaign’s launch and to highlight the connections formed through climbing,The North Face will be making a $1M donation to The Trust for Public Land to support public climbing walls in more communities, with a focus on under served areas and making the sport more accessible to all.

“At The Trust for Public Land, our mission is to create parks and protect land for people," said Trust for Public Land President Will Rogers. "Every park we create is an open invitation for all to enjoy, and we’re proud to say we’ve connected communities to the outdoors —and to each other —since 1972. We’re happy to partner with The North Face to make climbing more accessible to more people in neighborhoods nationwide.”The North Face is also partnering with gyms and facilities worldwide to make Aug.19 a global day of climbing, with free climbing opportunities in cities in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico, and China.

For every person who walks through the door of one of these participating gyms, The North Face will make a $5 donation (up to $50,000) to Paradox Sports, an organization committed to making climbing accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Additional climbing activities with athletes will take place in New York, Shanghai and London. “The North Face has been a passionate partner to the world’s climbing community for more than 50 years,” said Tom Herbst, global vice president of Marketing at The North Face.“We see walls as a place to unite our communities through the sport of climbing –a sport that requires trust and partnership. Our climbing community is truly global and we believe that communities are stronger when inclusive. Our intent is to inspire others to think more hopefully about the type of community we all want to work and play in.

”The North Face has a long history of supporting the climbing community through sponsorship of athletes including Alex Honnold and Ashima Shiraishi, and through the support of non-profit organizations like USA Climbing, The Trust for Public Land, Paradox Sports, the Access Fund and the American Alpine Club that focus on access, conservation and education. For more information on “Walls Are Meant For Climbing,” visit http://www.thenorthface.com/walls #ClimbWalls